We’re hearing a lot of talk about mobile at CES, but we’re also seeing some great PC hardware, as well. Antec had some interesting products to show us on both fronts.
The first product to catch our eye was the Antec GX700. Marketing Coordinator Justin Chou tells us Antec went out of its way to build an inexpensive, but high-quality
chassis for DIYers who want to conserve budget dollars for other components like
processors, motherboards, and graphics cards.
The GX700 rings in at $59.99 and has good looking internal layout. For example, there’s a reasonable amount of room behind the mobo tray, and there are holes throughout the cases’ interior to help you tuck cables out of sight. The hard drive trays also face the left side of the case, which aids cable management as well. The drive trays are flexible and are meant to be easy to attach to a drive (tool-less, in fact). Chou expects the case to be available soon, maybe even this month.
Chou also showed off the P280 White Window series, which is a limited edition chassis. The front door has a special hinge that lets it fold all the way back against the side panel (no accidentally snapping it off, as you can with regular doors). Also, the plexi that makes up the window extends to the edges of the side panel for better sound insulation.
We also got a look at Antec’s TrueQuiet enclosure
fan line. To make his point, Chou had a half-dozen running and asked us to get as close as we liked to try to hear them. We couldn’t make out their sound, even in the quiet suite.
On the mobile side of things, Antec is putting its power experience to work. It has a Powerup line of
battery packs for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. They’re sleek and simple: charge one up, then plug it into your device with a USB cord and push the button.
Chou showed off the Powerup 3000, a rapid-charge battery pack which has blue charge indicator lights. It automatically shuts off when you unplug your phone (or when your phone hits 100%) so the battery pack doesn’t lose its charge unecessarily. The Powerup is part of Antec’s new Amp (Antec Mobile Products) brand.
Another Amp product that’s getting some attention is the SP1, which is a portable
wireless speaker. It is Bluetooth based and offers up to 10 hours of playback from its Li-Ion battery, according to Antec.
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